


We don't want to be found

by ChaoticMajor



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Angst with a Happy Ending, BAMF Eret, BAMF Niki, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eret Redemption (Video Blogging RPF), Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Half the people are mentioned in the last chapter, Multiple Pronouns for Eret (Video Blogging RPF), No Romantic Relationship(s) - Freeform, SHIPPERS DNI, Schlatt redemption arc, THIS IS COMPLETLY PLATONIC, This is my first work here, did I mention none of this has beta?, fundy is distracted by shiny things, fundy is human but he has fox ears and a tail, like eret's eyes, mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm microwave noises, philza minecraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-07
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:35:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 16
Words: 16,295
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27438949
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChaoticMajor/pseuds/ChaoticMajor
Summary: "We could have everything we'd want..."An AU that takes place before the festival. What if Tommy and Tubbo did run away?
Relationships: Eret & Floris | Fundy, Eret & Niki | Nihachu, Eret & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Eret & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Floris | Fundy & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Floris | Fundy & TommyInnit, Jschlatt & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Jschlatt & Wilbur Soot, Niki | Nihachu & Toby Smith | Tubbo, Niki | Nihachu & TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu & Wilbur Soot, Toby Smith | Tubbo & TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo & Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot & TommyInnit
Comments: 77
Kudos: 838
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	1. And they're off!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! this is my first work so please tell me if you enjoy! updates might be a bit random but I'll try to get a schedule going.

CHAPTER 1

“So, so we could just run away right now.” Tommy said, disbelief clear in his voice. “We have everything that is of any value to us, we- we could just run.”

“Do- do you want to? Run away, I mean.”

“I-… I’m not sure..., I mean, we’d be betraying Wilbur an- and the blade and-”

“Tommy!” Tubbo yelled, grabbing his best friend by his shoulders, “It doesn’t matter! If we take the disks, we can leave! No consequences and nothing holding us back! We’d be free!”   
By this point, they both had tears in their eyes, Tubbo was standing, arms and hands shaking with emotions. Tommy was frozen in shock, staring at the older boy. He starts to giggle, laughing at the irony of it all. They build a nation, only to be their own downfall. His giggle turned to a laugh, which turned into hysterics. Tubbo frowned.

“your starting to sound like me, Tubbster.” Tubbo smiled at this. He started to laugh too. At the irony.

“Yeah- yeah, I guess I- I am.”

“I think your right. We need to leave. Separate ourselves from the equation. Take our stuff and run. Re-remember what we said we were going to do if things went bad? We were going to run away. Remember? Run, and go live in the cabin away from town? Well things look pretty fucking bad. So, lets pack our bags, grab our shit, and leave!”

Tommy jumped up from the bench, Tubbo’s hands leaving his shoulders. Tubbo smiled, tears running down his cheeks. Tommy grinned back, feeling warm water running down his cheeks as well. They turned and made their way to tommy’s old house, took their stuff out of the ender chest, broke it and took it with them as they literally ran for the hills. They stopped to grab some food but that was it.  
After about three minutes of running north-west, the boys exited the city limits. They could almost feel the shackles falling off their wrists and ankles as they ran through a field of flowers they had never seen before. The boys giggled and laughed, real giggles and laughs this time. They were finally free. Wilbur had no control, Shlatt had no control, it was just Tommy and Tubbo against the world. No more wars of fights. No more grasping for allies or spying. No more weight of a nation weighing down on the two sixteen-year old's shoulders. No worries of being sold out, nothing!   
The boys were free for now, so they ran through the fields of flowers until they reached a mushroom and flower dotted forest. Tommy dug down two blocks before removing his pogtopia skin and burying it. Tubbo took notice and did the same with his suit. Back in their normal skins they shared a glance and laughed again. Neither could believe it. They were FREE. 

“So,” Tubbo started as they started into the forest, “where should we build our new base?” Tommy though” for a second before answering, “I think we should find a clearing.”

“yeah?”

“Yeah. We build our cabin? House? Whatever were going to build, we’ll build it here. Once it’s done, we’ll surround the rest of the clearing with the same type of trees. Sound good big man?” tommy looked over to see his friends face full of wonder and excitement. Tommy smiled.

“That sounds like an awesome plan. When were done with the house, do you mind if we go find some bees?” Tubbo asked with a smile. Tommy couldn’t hide the kind smile on his face or in his voice.

“Sure buddy, whatever you want.”


	2. the days of peace are few and far between

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things aren't looking good in Pogtopia or Manburg. A lonely king is scheming, a dictator lost their hardworking machine, a leader lost their moral compass. 
> 
> Two boys are playing in the woods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love Eret redemption arc. This book was being written before the festival but only being posted now, which is why there is a specific date for before the festival.

CHAPTER 2

The house was coming along nicely. It was all wood, birch, to blend in with the forest around them. They were currently working on an underground bunker and interior design. They had two beds, a red one for Tommy and a green one for Tubbo. A crafting table, furnaces and smokers, chests and the ender chest they stole, a jukebox and other stuff they either took or crafted.

Luckily, the boys hadn’t ran into anyone while they were leaving. That was a lie. They accidentally ran into Eret while stealing from different places. Since they were caught in the act, they couldn’t use any silver tongue they might’ve had. Eret whispered that he would turn a blind eye, Tommy was really worried though. Eret had betrayed them once, and despite both wanting to move past it, tommy couldn’t. He was borderline paranoid. But nothing had happened yet, so he chose to focus on the house and food stock. They made a mini farm about fifteen blocks from the house, with wheat, beetroot, and carrots.   
Tommy couldn’t stand the taste of potatoes anymore. Since they lived in a forest with mushrooms, the easiest meal was mushroom soup. They went out yesterday to find Tubbo some bees. They came home with Cups and Cans flying by Tubbo’s side, and Saturn, Tommy’s new brown cow, walking beside him.

It was a long week, but they had finally finished their home. Eret came by a few times to say hi and give the boys updates and supplies from the nether, because they couldn’t risk having a connected portal. Apparently, it was crazy over in SMP land. Wilbur was blaming Shlatt and Quackity, who were blaming Niki, who was defending Wilbur, who was also blaming Niki and Fundy, who was defending himself and blaming George, who blamed Sapnap, who blame Ant, who blamed Techno, and so on and so forth. No one suspected the traitor, Eret of all people, to have a hand in it. And he took it in stride, smiling as fights broke out about what happened to Tommy and Tubbo.

“And why should we trust you of all people?” Inquired Tommy, staring at Eret through his sunglasses, glare unwavering.

“You shouldn’t.” Eret said shamefully, looking down at a cornflower. “I betrayed you, Tubbo, Niki, Wilbur, Fundy-” His voice broke at Fundy’s name. They had been so close, like Tommy and Tubbo were. Then Eret sold them out. “I don’t deserve anything I have right now, but I’m promising to you that I will help you. I don’t want to hurt you kids more than I have already.” 

Tommy didn’t know what made him make the decision he did that night, but regardless, he decided to trust Eret. Tubbo found out by the next night Eret came back. It took weeks but eventually Eret had regained their trust. And it had helped them a lot. 

Once, Wilbur got suspicious of Eret hiding them in his castle. Eret made the quite valid point that Tommy hated him and if he did come to stay in the castle with Tubbo, Eret would be nothing but a bloodstain on the wall. Wilbur couldn’t fight that logic, so Eret was officially removed from the list of suspects. The boys had a good laugh at that.

“Got any good news today, big man?” Tommy said as Eret walked up to the boys humble abode.

“Uhm, I think so. Shlatt has given up on finding Tubbo, leaving Quackity to mourn dramatically like the drama queen he is. Wilbur has been really off putting though, I mean, from my knowledge, he has barley been talking to Technoblade, and just really cut off.” Eret finished, looking around. He turned to Tommy, “Hey, man, you don’t look so good. You ok?”

“Eret… what day is it today?” Tommy asked, voice wavering slightly. Eret took that as a sign that something was wrong. He walked closer and put a gentle, steadying arm around Tommy. Tommy grasped it for dear life, hands shaking. Eret frowned.

“It’s Monday the twelfth, why?” Tommy’s whole body started to shake at Eret’s words. He fell to his knees, Eret’s hand still resting on his shoulder. Concern was etched on the older man’s face.

“F-four d-days.” Tommy stuttered out. Eret heard a door closing and looked up. Tubbo had just exited their house to check on Tommy. He looks up, startled, and immediately rushes over to help.

“What’s wrong?” Tubbo asks in a concerned tone, putting his arms around Tommy to support him.

“I-I don’t exactly know. I was telling him the weekly info and then he asked for todays date. When I gave it to him, he froze and fell to his knees, muttering something about four days. Then you came out here.”

“Eret,” Tubbo asked in a cautious tone, looking up at the older boy, “what day is today?”

“It’s the twelfth, what’s so important about todays date?” Eret inquired, confused.

“Today isn’t important Eret, it’s the festival in four days. That’s what’s important.”

“Why?”

“B-because,” Tommy whispered, “th-that’s when h-he blows ev-everyone t-to smithereens.”

To say Eret was shocked at this revelation would be the understatement of the century. There were no words that described his feeling of astoundment at the moment. He knew Wilbur was acting a bit odd, sure, but going full JD and blowing up the festival in four days? If he didn’t trust Tommy and Tubbo like he did now, he would’ve said they were the insane ones.


	3. How dark must the sky be for me to see you smile?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Something's wrong.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for the friendly comments!!! I was so nervous if people wouldn't like it but I'm glad you guys do! This one will be a bit shorter, but I promise the next one will be longer.
> 
> Now, angst.

CHAPTER 3

“Thank you Eret.” Tubbo said, looking the man in the eyes, “But you really should leave. People will start to get suspicious if you’re here for too long again.”

Eret sighed. How he wishes he could stay with the boys, but alas, just because he was off the list, doesn’t mean he still isn’t a suspect. So, the lonely king road off towards the nation he once called home, and Tubbo brought Tommy inside the house.

“Are you ok Tommy?” the older asked, concern seeping through the soft tone of his voice. 

‘His voice kinda sounds like bees humming.’ Tommy thought dully, brain swimming in honey. Tubbo saw his friend’s pupils dilate. He franticly snaped his fingers, trying to get Tommy to focus on him. It wasn’t working.

“Tommy? Tommy! Wake up!” Tubbo shouted as Tommy’s eyes fluttered shut. 

‘Why is Tubbo shouting? Is something wrong?” Tommy thought, grogginess fading. He saw Tubbo fading from his vision, the darkness creeping from around each corner.  
Tubbo tried everything to wake Tommy. From shaking to lightly slapping him, nothing worked. He had laid Tommy down on the bed, keeping a healing potion on the bedside. He tried to feel Tommy’s pulse. It wasn’t there.  
Tubbo uncorked the potion and as gently as he could, poured the potion down the younger’s throat. He waited a minuet. He checked Tommy’s pulse again. It still wasn’t there. Tubbo started to cry. He’d lost his best friend, his other half.  
Tommy reached for the sky in a panic. Tears streaming down his face, he reached out as far as he could in the pitch. Reaching for his best friend, his other half. 

And then he woke up.


	4. God, I hate Shakespeare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tommy wakes up. The boys find out that someone has been watching them. The boys need sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now, I know that you are all confused about last chapter, this one will clear it up! But Tommy did in fact die. Feel free to say who you think is the one watching them in the comments, I'd love to see.

CHAPTER 4

Tubbo looked up in shock. Tommy was clinically dead. His pulse was gone, his heart had stopped. But here he was, alive in all his glory. Tommy was crying. He looked down at his friend kneeling on the ground. Tubbo got up slowly, and put a tentative hand on Tommy’s arm, as if checking he was really there. As soon as he felt the solidness of Tommy’s arm, his hands raced to the younger one’s neck. Tommy leaned back, startled by the sudden movement. Tubbo’s fingers found his pulse almost immediately, and it was beating strong. Tubbo shed new tears at this. Tommy was now confused.

“Tubbo?” he asked, voice strained, “What happened?”

“I’m not sure Tommy…” Tubbo said, voice quiet. Like if he raised his voice just a little bit, Tommy would shatter, like porcelain colliding with a hard floor. 

Tommy tried to get up, against Tubbo’s protests, and hissed at a throbbing pain in his leg. Both boys looked down to Tommy’s leg and saw that it had a poison blow dart, only meant to last a minute and a half. Tubbo knew that Tommy was dead for much longer than two minutes. Tommy felt around the end and saw that the dart had been tampered with. The boys carefully opened the dart to find an empty bottle with a label along the side. 

“Juliet’s poison?” the two said in unison.

“what do you think it means by ‘Juliet’s poison’?” Tubbo asked his friend on the bed, “Do you think it’s a reference or something?”

“I think it’s all in the name. Juliet’s poison? Do you know what happens to Romeo and Juliet in the end?”

“Not really, no.”

“Well, basically, Juliet is slipped a sleeping potion or something, and falls into a deep sleep. Romeo finds her, thinks she's dead, and gets all depressed and stuff, so he kills himself. Then Juliet wakes up and finds Romeo’s dead body and kills herself too.”

“Wow. That’s really depressing.”

“Yeah. But my point is, whoever shot me wanted me momentarily dead, long enough so that, you I assume, would kill yourself. Then I would go do something irrational and die too. They know were hiding here and they want us dead.”

Tubbo sat down beside his friend. He looked the younger in the eyes. There was determination in his voice, but fear in his eyes. Tubbo wrapped his arms tightly around his friend. Tommy hugged him back just as tight. The moon was starting to rise as they lay there, each wrapping the other in a warm and comforting embrace. 

By nine, they’re both fast asleep.


	5. Oh how I wish I wasn't plagued, with dreams of my past that are not real.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a glimpse into Eret's view on things. Pleasant dreams are turning to nightmares.

CHAPTER 5

Eret wanted a time travel fixit. But that would basically make his life a crude fanfiction, so… no. Fanfiction aside, Eret just wanted to be apart of a group again. A group he believed in.

He sat by a fireplace, looking at the flames dancing in the dusk of another long day, the infinite energy of oxygen fueling its burning energy. A small voice in the back of his head told him to touch the burning energy. Take some for his own. He sighed at his own greediness and slowly drifted to sleep on the couch he laid on, wrapped in warm blankets as a weak attempt to drown out the nightmares. It didn’t work.

_“Eret?” Tommy said in a distraught voice. Tubbo laid bleeding out behind him, stab wound still fresh. “W-why did you d-do that to him-m?”_

_“ ~~You two were liabilities,~~ ” a voice that was not Eret’s responds. “ ~~It was only a matter of time before I needed to eliminate you again. It’s quite a shame you didn’t agree with Wilbur’s plan; if you did, maybe you would’ve had a fighting chance.”~~_

_“T-that is not Eret’s voice.”_

_“ ~~Or have you forgotten what he sounds like by trying to purge your mind of his past decisions?~~ ” the voice teases. Eret can’t help but watch as Tommy limps over to Tubbo’s limp body and cradles it, sobbing, till he slowly comes to a stop. Eret wants to throw up now._

Eret wakes up in cold sweat and leaps off the couch to quickly craft a bucket, which is then used for holding his vomit. Three times. They put the bucket aside and wipe their mouth. They’re still shaking in their boots from an extremely realistic dream. Then, a knock at the door.

Eret picks themselves up and walks to their door, trying to gather their thoughts. When they open the door, they are met face to face with Tommy and Tubbo, both looking nervous and sheepish. Eret could feel how windy it was from the door.

“Boys? Why are you out so late? Is something wrong?”

“Uhh… yeah, umm. Well you see, Tubbo and I were having a good sleep when my communicator goes off. I check it, just incase its somethin’ important, and guess who messaged me? Wilbur. He’s going on this long spiel about how he was wrong and how much he needs us. He even tried to play the brother card! I know it’s bullshit though. I lost my brother a long time ago. Just after the election, actually. Anyways, Tubbo and I, couldn’t just go back to sleep after that… you know how paranoia works, so we were wondering if you’d let us sleep here for the night?”

Eret blinked. He knew the boys trusted him, but he didn’t think this much. Eret gazed into them, their souls, a neat little trick that comes with being half voidian, and saw two kids scared absolutely out of their fucking minds.

“Of course you can stay the night. Come, follow me.” they said, slowly walking up the stairs. “I have lots of spare guest-” “ _NO!_ ” Tommy shouted, interrupting Eret. He turned around to face the children. “I-I mean, no, we’d like to sleep next to a… bigger person.” Tommy looked down embarrassed, Tubbo nodded and clung tighter to Tommy’s arm.

“It’s fine, really. I don’t think I’d mind the company.” He said with a smile, bending down to give the two boys a hug. They gladly accepted it.

Let’s just say that early the next morning, when Fundy checked in his room, he was surprised to find the man lying in bed with the two missing children clinging to him like a lifeline, all peacefully sleeping away. Fundy might’ve left at that moment, but when Eret woke up there would be a lot of explaining for them to do.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fundy makes an entrance! (if you get that reference, your pog). I assure you that Eret just had a bad dream... or did he? ;)
> 
> Also, WHY DID NO ONE TELL ME RICH TEXT WAS SO MUCH EASIER???


	6. Serenity's song is sweet to hear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What a beautiful day. you could almost say it's the calm before the storm...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will be the last chapter for the week because school. I think I'll only start to post on weekends.

CHAPTER 6

The sun filtered through the large windows of Eret’s castle as the sun rose on a new day. Eret slowly opened his eyes to meet the soft rays of light shining on the bed. There was a vague sense of longing as he stares into space. He gave a soft smile as he felt Tommy move closer to him. He felt like a big brother in that moment. Then the waves of guilt and regret fell down upon him. He quickly shook off the negative feelings. They trusted him now, he would never betray them again. He glanced out the window from where he laid in the bed, confined to his spot by the two tall children. He saw that it had snowed last night and that they were snowed in. at least he assumed. It was peaceful until his communicator go off as a SMP wide alert. Tommy shot up in fear of the loud beep, while Tubbo sat up and rubbed his eyes. Tommy started muttering gibberish as Tubbo tried to calm him down, while Eret got out of the bed to go check the communicator. He clicked the button, turning on the incoming message. 

“ATTENTION ALL SMP’ERS.” Dream’s voice rang out from the small device. “DUE TO THE LARGE AMOUNT OF SNOW OUTSIDE, WE ARE ASKING YOU TO STAY INSIDE AND NOT GO OUT. WE DO NOT WANT TO WAKE UP AND HAVE TO FIND SOME HUMAN POPSICLES.” He joked. You could hear George nag Dream in the background. “BUT SEIOUSLY DON’T DO THAT.” And with that the comm shut off. Tommy and Tubbo looked up.

“What was that big man?” Tommy asked in a timid voice. Eret looked to them with a calm smile.

“It was just a warning from Dream about the snow. We’ve all been snowed in. You boys will be stuck with me for a few days.” The boy’s smiled at the news. Eret was slowly becoming their big brother and not one of them had a problem with it. 

The two boys and the king walk down the stairs to the kitchen where they found a young fox boy making breakfast. Eret wasn’t surprised to see his roommate making breakfast. Everyday Fundy would make a wonderful breakfast for the two of them. Then Eret realized that Tommy and Tubbo didn’t know Fundy lived in the castle with him. 

“Fundy!?” the boys said in unison. Fundy stopped and turned to face the boys at the door.

“Uhh… hi?” Fundy said nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. He put the pan of bacon on the counter.

“What are you doing here?” Tubbo said, dread creeping into his voice, stepping in front of Tommy. Then Eret remembered that they thought Fundy was on Shlatt’s side.

“Oh I… I live here.”

“What!?” Tommy yelled. Eret sighed.

“I forgot to tell you. Fundy is my roommate.”

“But he burned the flag down!” Tommy argued, still behind Tubbo.

“Only to fool Shlatt and everyone else. I figured, the less people know about my traitorship, the more likely I am to get away with it. And I was right.” Fundy explained to the boys, “Shlatt doesn’t suspect a thing.”

Tommy slowly came out from behind Tubbo. They whispered to each other before coming to an agreement. 

“Ok. We believe you.” They said in unison. Fundy and Eret shuddered. The boys sat down at the table with Eret as Fundy got the rest of breakfast ready. They all ate and laughed as the thick castle walls kept the cold out. It was nice moment in time, away from all the stress outside. It was fun as they played boardgames all day. By lunch, they were just finishing up monopoly.

“Nooooooo…” Fundy wailed as he landed on Tommy’s property. Tubbo had gone bankrupt and was just watching now, Fundy was in last, with all orange properties, now with losing most of his money. Eret was in second, with six million and all the pinks, light blues, and browns. Tommy was in first, surprisingly, with twelve million dollars, boardwalk and park place, all the reds, yellows and greens. 

“Yessss, pay up bitch!” Tommy yelled pointing in Fundy’s face. Fundy sighed as he handed Tommy four million. 

“I’m hungry. Can we eat lunch now?” Tubbo asked as Eret rolled a seven.

“Sure. What do you guys want?” Eret asked as he landed on his own property.

“Fish, like, salmon?” Fundy suggested.

“What about pumpkin pie?” Tubbo asked. They all seemed to think for a second before nodding in agreement. 

“Pumpkin pie it is.” Eret declared, standing up. The rest of the boys then followed suit, leaving the game behind them.

It was later that night when the boys started to go to bed. Eret had let Tubbo stay over in the past, so there happened to be pjs for both of them. They were a bit small on tommy but not uncomfortably so. They walked to the room they were given and laid in the bed next to each other. Tubbo turned off the light as Tommy stared at the ceiling. 

“Hey Tommy?”

“Once the snow clears up, we’re leaving right?”

“Yeah. Why? Something bothering you big man?”

“I don’t know, it’s just, I don’t want to have to hide the rest of our lives. I want to be able to go say hi to all my friends out there, in Manburg, and, and… Tommy we’re just kids!” Tubbo started to cry. 

Tommy sat up and wrapped his arms around the older boy. Sobs wracked his body as Tommy held him in a tight embrace. “I don’t want to have to keep cleaning up after the adults Tommy! That’s why we ran away! But if we get found, we’re just going to be roped back into all over again and I don’t want that!” Tommy was startled with the realization that Tubbo was right. Tommy started to cry too. The two of them would never be free, not really. As long as they had contact with anything in the SMP they weren’t free. The two hugged each other as they both cried until they were too tired to do so. Eventually, they laid down, under the blankets, still holding each other in a tight hug. Soon enough, sleep took them as their final captor of the night.


	7. Etiamsi gaudii luctus princeps, memento mori.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All is calm in the castle. An unsuspecting duo show up.

** CHAPTER 7 **

Eret awoke to soft ginger hair in his face. He looked and saw Fundy spooned up against him from last night. None of Eret’s rooms had heaters, so he usually just piled blankets until he was warm enough. Fundy’s room had the least amount of heat though, so he and Eret often slept in the same bed to conjoin body heat. He tightened his arms around the fox boy a little bit and closed his eyes. He basked in the peacefulness of the morning as he laid in bed with his best friend. As the sun rose, so did the temperature

Fundy awoke to a big, warm mass, curled around his body, spooning him. Which he then realized was Eret and inched into his arms just a little bit more. Both boys were enjoying the others company and peacefulness of the early morning while basking in the warmth of each other and duvet blankets.

In the next room, Tommy and Tubbo were asleep, limbs strewn across the bed and each other. The snow had cleaned up by now, so Tommy and Tubbo could technically leave. But after losing Wilbur, Tommy felt lost without an older brother. Eret had taken over Wilbur’s role without even realizing. He was always an older brother to Tubbo though, so you could see why neither of them wanted to leave.

That’s when a loud knock at the door woke everyone up. They all met up downstairs.

“Tubbo, Tommy, you two go hide in the kitchen with Fundy. Don’t make a sound, please.” Eret directed the other three.

“Eret!”

“Fundy?”

“Your glasses?”

“I’ll be fine, thanks.” As soon as they were out of his line of sight, Eret opened the door. In front of him stood Shlatt and Wilbur, a most unlikely duo, looking like they were ready to give anyone hell. Eret feared he might be on the receiving side of their wrath.

“Eret, hello! Just checking in-” Eret cut Schlatt off.

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why are you really here?”

“Wadda mean? I’m just here to do a check of the castle and I’ll be on my way.”

“Right… why is Wilbur here then. I thought his citizenship was revoked?”

Wilbur, now realizing he had the spotlight, spoke up. “Yes, but Schlatt has been kind enough to allow me a visa until Tommy and Tubbo are found.”

“Ok.” Eret paused, “You can leave now.”

“But we need to sweep the castle-” said Schlatt in protest. Eret sighed. How did everyone forget this?

“I said no. You can not snoop through my castle.”

“Listen, as your president-” 

“You’re not.”

“What? What do you mean ‘I’m not’?”

“There’s a reason I have a castle and crown, Schlatt.” Wilbur looked away as Eret stared down Shlatt, “I’m not a member of _Manburg_ ,” Eret spits out the name like poison. “or of Pogtopia.” He can see Shlatt gulp. “Did you all forget that I am the king of the Dream SMP land?” Eret’s face went dark. “Did you forget what I did to get the title, _Wilbur_?” he says, pointing the last part at his former friend.

“Uhh… we’ll just- we’ll just go now.” Shlatt said dragging Wilbur away with him. Eret smiled. His friends were safe.

_For now…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title of this chapter is in Latin and roughly translates to; "Though mirth is high, remember death", if you were wondering. Thank you all for the supportive comments and theory's, they mean so much and always make my day! <3


	8. Where does the unforgiving god, draw the line between nightmares and reality?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eret has a nightmare that seems to spell out our villain in the limelight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eret's POV again. These dreams are getting consistent. 
> 
> Your tears, hand them over. I need more for Monday.

** CHAPTER 8 **

“Eret!” Tubbo yelled, the first to run out of the hiding spot. Tommy and Fundy followed quickly behind.

“Are you ok big man?” Tommy asked, concern seeping through his voice. Eret chuckled.

“I’m fine.” Fundy let out a sigh of relief at his best friend’s words.

“What did Schlatt and Wilbur want?” Tommy asked.

“They wanted to do a sweep of the castle. I said no.”

“But isn’t Schlatt the president?” Tubbo asked.

“Not of me.” Eret stated. The boys nodded and headed back to their room, leaving Fundy and Eret alone. Eret walked to the couch and fell onto it. Fundy made him move over a bit so he could lay down next to him. Eret dosed off after a few minutes; the stress was catching up to him.

_Fundy?” Eret called out into the snowstorm. He heard voices all around him, mixing and thrashing like live things in a blender. Then, a figure steps out of the white. It looks like their wearing a hat or hood of some sort, maybe a beanie or sailor hat? He couldn’t tell. They have no armor on, and a diamond sword as the only weapon. Eret was finally able to focus on one voice. Wilbur’s._

_"Eret get out of our way, you traitor, we don’t want or need your help!” The shadow of Wilbur said in a cold voice. Colder than the snow that fell around them like a hurricane blizzard._

_Sheets of paper suddenly flew past Wilbur’s shadow and circled Eret at a fast pace. All he could see was the word ** ~~TRAITOR~~** repeated over and over again down all pages. Eret couldn’t breathe. Invisible hands were clamping his mouth shut, touching him everywhere to hold him in place. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t breathe. So he panicked as best he could. It was no use. The shadow, he believed to belong to Wilbur, stalked closer and closer till it was right in front of his face. Eret was wrong. This being had no hat nor toque he saw as it got closer. The shadow he assumed to be Wilbur’s, got blurrier as it got closer. By the time it was at face level, he could only make out a mass of void black, vaguely resembling a human shape. _

_“ ~~YoU f0oL. DiD yOu rEaLlY tHiNk ThAt I wOuLdN’t NoTiCe ThE **OUTLAWS** yOu WeRe HiDiNg? HoW dEnCe ArE yOu?~~” _

_It was that voice again. Only it sounded more distorted now. He had no doubt in him mind now that this was Wilbur’s void shadow thing. It looked like Wilbur. It sounded sorta like Wilbur. It had to be him. It couldn’t be Schlatt. The Shadow was too tall for that. No one else had visited the castle this morning, so it had to be Wilbur._

_As the paranoia set, the sheets of paper began to rapidly fold into paper airplanes and fly around and in front of him; cutting into him as he was still chained by hand to the ground upon which he stood._

_The cuts felt like salt in a wound. Like a knife that only dug and twisted once it contacted his flesh. He still couldn’t breathe. Air. He needed air. He grasped and lunged in the subconscious of his subconscious and got nowhere. His mind grew fuzzy. Where was he going? Why was he leaving so soon? There was still ** ~~SO MUCH TO DO~~**._

He woke up.


	9. Rest now, you have a long day ahead of you.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More dreams. you could almost say the author was trying to tell you something.  
> A glimpse into the villain's POV.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... the war huh? It could've gone better but I don't mind the final outcome. Also what happened only fuels who my villain is. 
> 
> Big theory time today for this chapter. Do tell who you think the villain is in the comments.

** CHAPTER 9 **

Eret woke up with a small gasp. The sun was now lower in the sky than it was before. There was a weight on his chest which he then sees is Fundy napping peacefully. The sun filtering through the windows shines a soft pink and orange colour with tints of yellow scattered across like the stars in the forest on a clear night. They slowly start to pet Fundy’s ears. It draws out a low purring sound from the fox boy, tail swaying at an apathetic pace. The fur of his ears is soft, Eret realizes in a hazy moment. The aftershock of the nightmare and the aesthetically pleasing colours of sunlight that gleam through the luster of the afternoon, create a haze that Eret seems to fall into. The routine stroking of his friend’s ears is a gentle lullaby that softly sings him to a state of peaceful sleep, no nightmares to disrupt this time.

It’s too bad he didn’t see the insane smile staring at him from outside the window.

After that morning’s fiasco, Tubbo and Tommy went back up stairs to their shared room and sat on the bed. They were both still tired and were almost found out today. Tommy sighed as he laid down beside Tubbo, pulling the velveteen sheets over them both. Tubbo gave him a small smile which was returned, as they too, drifted to sleep.

_“Tubbo?!” tommy yelled out from the rubble which he was trapped under. He couldn’t hear himself over that dammed loud ringing. As far as Tommy knew, he got no response. Soon, after more shouting he assumed, the rubble was lifted off of his face. He saw Tubbo, Eret, Fundy and Niki surround him as they tried to unbury him. The ringing had stopped long before this. They were moving their mouths, but no sound came out._

_“Tubbo? I can’t hear a thing. What are you saying?” Tommy said, trying his hardest not to shout the sentence. All he saw was more mouths moving from his friends. The colour drained out of Niki and Tubbo’s faces while Eret and Fundy looked like they needed to throw up. Eret did. Tommy was so confused. Why couldn’t he hear anything? Tubbo started crying and that’s when it hit him._

_He was deaf._

In all honesty, Tommy didn’t know where he was at first when he woke up. Then he realized he was in bed with Tubbo in Eret’s castle. Those dreams have been getting more frequent Tommy thought to himself as he laid in bed, only comfort was the boy on the other side. As the sun shone in, setting in all its glory. Then, a knock at the door. He got up, careful to not wake Tubbo, and opened the door. The hallway was dark. Before he could even think of closing the door, the sound of an arrow being shot sounded twice through the cascading hallway. One hit Tommy square in the chest, the other hit Tubbo’s arm. He looked at his chest to see a blindness arrow before the world went dark.

The puppeteer smiled once more. He had finally caught his puppets at last. The small pawns were always running off together before, and now after the challenge of them disappearing, he had tied them up in his strings again at last. It was always a satisfying feeling when you get the thing you have been working towards. The man smiled sadistically over his short-sighted victory. He knew that this was only a temporary solution. In the morning Eret would know about this. But he let himself revel in satisfaction a little longer. After all, he had a plan and wasn’t about to let anything or anyone stop him.

The puppeteer smiled.


	10. I relish seeing you in a state of agony, for I am a being of chaos alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys find themselves trapped. Wilbur makes amends with an old friend. Eret just wants to be an older brother.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> STRAP IN EVERYONE, ALL ABOARD THE ANGST TRAIN!  
> THIS WILL BE A LONG RIDE TONIGHT, FILLED WITH LORE, BACKSTORY, AND OF COURSE, ANGST.  
> ENJOY YOUR DAY!

** CHAPTER 10 **

When Tommy woke up, he was in a dark room tied to Tubbo, back to back. He looked around, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the dark. There were the embers of a Torch on the wall, but that was about it. He could see an iron door with no button in the room to get out. Whoever kidnapped them was a bitch. He heard a gasp and felt Tubbo wake up.

“Tommy? Is that you?”

“Yeah its me big T.”

They sat in silence, same question on their minds but neither having an answer to it.

‘ _Where were they?’_

Wilbur knew he was going insane. He lost his marbles and threw his moral compass out the window. The only thing keeping him relatively grounded was Tommy. Then he and Tubbo ran off. To where? Wilbur didn’t know. He just wishes he did. He missed his brother. Techno usually kept to himself and Phil wasn’t on the SMP yet. Quackity had joined Pogtopia a few days ago, but Wilbur didn’t trust him too much, so he had no one really. You would think that Tommy running away would just drag him farther into insanity, but no, it actually snapped him out of it. Tommy running away put what he’s been saying and doing into perspective. He realized that he’d pulled his sixteen-year-old brother and friend into another war. And he couldn’t even keep his cool while it all happened. So focused on his own greedy goals, he set aside the safety of his friends and brother to even try and have a chance at getting it back. He was ashamed of himself. He had tried to get Tommy to come back so he could apologize in person, but he knew the chances were slim of it happening. Hell, even getting a reply back were slim. And he didn’t. All he got was a fuck off from Tommy in true Tommy fashion and that was that. That’s when he went to an old friend for help.

‘ _I can’t believe I’m about to do this.’_ Wilbur thought as he stood at the entrance to the land he once built. ~~L’~~ Manburg. He knocked. The goat opened the door.

“Wilbur? Why are you here?” For once, Schlatt wasn’t drunk off his ass and was just too tired to argue with Wilbur tonight. With George never around and Quackity leaving and Tubbo’s disappearance, all the work had been thrust on the presidents back. Wilbur could see the bags under his old friends’ eyes. He wouldn’t lie, he was a bit shocked. Schlatt was always so upbeat when he wasn’t drunk. This was a sad sight.

“Oh, I’m here for help.” Schlatt looked at him quizzically but let him in regardless. “You know how Tommy and Tubbo disappeared?” Schlatt flinched at the mention of Tubbo. Wilbur frowned. “I was wondering if we could go around Manburg and ask everyone if they’ve seen them?”

Schlatt stared at Wilbur incredulously. He laughed. “Where were you Wilbur? Some insane asshole took over your body and paraded around as you for a month!” Wilbur laughed a genuine laugh at that. There was the Schlatt he knew.

“I could say the same to you Schlatt.” He smirked. Schlatt laughed again. “It’s great to see you again buddy.”

“Same here. Now, the runaway children problem?”

“Ah, yes, that.” Schlatt frowned. “Where do you think we should start?”

“Eret’s castle? I know I wasn’t in the right mind when I last saw him, but he has the most space.”

“Yeah let’s go pay him a friendly visit tomorrow morning. You good with that?”

“Sure.” And for the first time since they got their independence, Wilbur was truly happy. Sure, things weren’t perfect, they never would be, that’s the greediness of man, but it was a better outcome than others. Imagine if he had stayed insane and actually blown up Manburg.

Good thing he snapped out of it.

“Hey,” Schlatt said turning to Wilbur, “I figure it’s a long way back to Pogtopia, and I have plenty of spare rooms. It would be tedious to have to go back and forth.” Wilbur looked at him, still smiling, “Are you asking me to have a sleepover, Schlatt?”

“Sure, call it that, I’m just saying.”

“Ok then. If it would be so hard for you to wait for me, _Mr. President_ , then I’ll sleep over.” Schlatt smiled

“Pog. You can choose from Quackity to Gogy’s room. Neither use them anymore.” Schlatt’s smile dims when he mentions Quackity. Wilbur’s smile fades.

“Sorry about that.”

“What? Wilbur, Quackity leaving wasn’t your fault. It was mine and I understand that. I’m just sad that I can’t apologize…” Schlatt trailed off, looking at the floor. Wilbur gave a meek smile at his friend. That’s exactly how he felt about the situation with Tommy and Tubbo.

“Hey, it’s ok,” Wilbur said with a small smile. He gave his friend a small nudge. Schlatt looked up at him. “I feel the same way about Tommy. And I’m certain we feel the same about Tubbo. We hurt the kids and didn’t get a chance to say sorry yet. But if there’s one thing I remember my dad telling me, is that ‘As long as you notice your mistake, you can fix it’. We both acknowledge that we did something wrong, and we’re willing to put in the effort to fix it. And that’s what matters.” Schlatt wiped his eyes of faux tears.

“That was beautiful Wilbur.” They both doubled over in laughter. Schlatt put his arm around Wilbur’s shoulder as he led him to the spare bedrooms.

That morning, Schlatt woke up to find Wilbur being a noisy busybody. He went downstairs and saw Wilbur pacing the kitchen nervously, cup of coffee in hand. He was mumbling to himself before he looked up and saw Schlatt standing at the bottom of the stairs.

“Ah Schlatt, your awake.”

“And your nervous.” Schlatt tiredly retaliated. Wilbur set his coffee down but didn’t say any thing.

“Take a seat. We have chairs in Manburg you know.” Wilbur rolled his eyes at that, trying to hide the smile making its way across his face.

“Sorry. You’re right, I’m nervous. What if when we find them, they don’t listen to us? W-what if we’re just told to fuck off?” Schlatt sighed. He thought this would happen.

“Listen… Wilbur, if they do that _when_ we find them,” Wilbur smiled at the emphasis, “then we keep trying, show them we’re trying and that we’ve changed. It’ll be like you said last night.”

“Thanks Schlatt.”

“No problem buddy.”

Few hours later, the two left the house on their trek to the false king’s castle. They put their game faces on and knocked. It took a minute, but eventually the door opened to reveal Eret in all his glory, iconic sunglasses missing from his face. That raised the scare factor from three to twelve. Neither let it show though, they were trying to find the children they wronged.

“Eret, hello! Just checking in-” Schlatt started to say before he was cut off by Eret who spoke in a tone like ice.

“Why?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why are you really here?”

“Wadda mean? I’m just here to do a check of the castle and I’ll be on my way.” Schlatt tried to lie as best as he could. The leaders couldn’t tell anyone the real reason they were looking for the boys. Sometimes the truth is harder to believe than the lies we’ve been fed. Eret seemed to buy it.

“Right… why is Wilbur here then. I thought his citizenship was revoked?” Schlatt and Wilbur froze. They had to come up with something quick.

“Yes, but Schlatt has been kind enough to allow me a visa until Tommy and Tubbo are found.” Wilbur said. Technically it wasn’t a lie.

“Ok.” Eret paused, “You can leave now.”

“But we need to sweep the castle-” said Schlatt in protest, trying his hardest to get in. There one more card he could play before they were out of excuses. And even then, Schlatt knew how smart Eret was. It might not work, but the two were getting a bit desperate and were grasping at straws. Eret sighed.

“I said no. You can not snoop through my castle.”

“Listen, as your president-” Schlatt played his last card. He just hoped it worked.

“You’re not.” It didn’t work.

“What? What do you mean ‘I’m not’?” He was grasping at the final straw.

“There’s a reason I have a castle and crown, Schlatt.” Wilbur looked away as Eret stared down Shlatt, “I’m not a member of _Manburg_ ,” Eret spits out the name like poison. “or of Pogtopia.” Schlatt gulped.

“Did you all forget that I am the king of the Dream SMP land?” Eret’s face went dark. “Did you forget what I did to get the title, _Wilbur_?” Wilbur looked away at the false king’s words, stinging him like salt in a fresh wound.

“Uhh… we’ll just- we’ll just go now.” Schlatt said, knowing when he’s lost a battle. He pulled along Wilbur until he heard the door close. Schlatt breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Wilbur, who was still in shock.

“Wil? Wilbur, buddy? You good?” Wilbur turned to him tears in his eyes.

“A-am I not j-just like h-him? I betrayed e-everyone w-who trusted me-e.”

“No, you’re not Wil. You wanna know why?”

“W-why?”

“Because he had everything he needed and wanted more. You had nothing and wanted more. You lost your mind. Eret’s brain seems to be working just fine.”

“Y-Your right. But th-that doesn’t excuse my actions.”

“You’re right, it doesn’t. But you’re willing to work for redemption, like me.” Wilbur smiled a toothy smile at his friend’s words. They’ve both done things they regret and are going to redeem themselves.

Eret woke up to a nice morning, fox boy curled in his warm arms and the children safe in his castle. _Or so he thought_. Slowly, Eret got out of bed, being sure not to wake his friend. He left his room and went to wake the children upstairs. As he reached the top of the stairs, he noticed something was off. The boys usually slept with the door open while they were here, Tubbo told him that it was because of the nightmares. If the door was open, they could easily walk to Eret’s room. The door was closed. He pushed it opened and gasped. The boys were gone. There was a note on the bed. It read:

“ _Dear Eret,_

_I hope you find this by tomorrow morning and no sooner. As you could guess, I’ve kidnapped the boys and hidden them in a place you won’t find them. I can guarantee that someone will find them, an ally of mine; but I cannot guarantee that he will treat them nicely. I tried to warn you. Did you really think those dreams were a coincidence?_

_Regardless, it will be fun to watch you run and play this game of hide and seek. The best part is you gave me the brilliant idea to blame someone else! Good on you._

_I would say I’m sorry, but I’m not._

_We will meet again, False king._

_-The Puppeteer”_

Eret read the note. Then again, and again. He read it over and over, scouring for clues on who wrote this, and more importantly, who took his brothers?

He heard the light pattering of feet coming up the stairs. Eret turned, tears in his eyes, to meet Fundy’s, wide as saucers. Fundy quickly ran over and read the note. He looked at Eret.

“Who do you think it’s from?”

“I-I don’t know Fundy,” Eret stumbled over his words. “All we know is that whoever it is, took Tommy and Tubbo.”

“It sounds like the Puppeteer is trading them off.” Fundy noted. “He did say that he was giving them to an ally.”

“We need to know who this ‘ally’ is, and fast. They-” Eret was interrupted by a knock at the door. The two went downstairs and opened the door to reveal Wilbur standing there in all his glory.

“What do you want, Wilbur?” Eret practically growled at the mad man. Wilbur stepped aside to reveal the two missing children. Tommy and Tubbo.

Tommy knew that they were in some form of glass box, but he couldn’t see out of it. It was like Tubbo and him were trapped in the void. Pitch black on all sides. The only reason he knew it was glass was because he had stamped his foot in anger, and it felt like frail plexiglas. Neither of them hit anything too hard after that.

They knew they weren’t alone after some time, when they heard a quiet whistle and someone walking downstairs. They were whistling a sad sounding tune be fore it was interrupted with a gasp.

“Tommy? Tubbo?”

Wilbur was walking back from Manburg, whistling the tune of ‘You are my sunshine’ as he strolled through the forest. He got to Pogtopia and started his decent into the ravine. He froze at what he saw when he walked into the main area. Hanging in a box of tinted glass, which wasn’t supposed to exist yet, were Tommy and Tubbo. There was a note on the side of it.

“ _Consider it a gift from god._

_-_ ____ _~~e̵̡̮͉͕͕̖͍͌͂͌̎̑͛a̵̧̤̩͉̗̻̮̗͇͌~~ _ __”_

“Tommy? Tubbo?”


	11. Redemption is a path I do not walk alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wimblur finds the poor boys. Eret's ready to fuck someone's shit if he doesn't find them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I could've made this so angsty but I'm a sucker for fluff. Enjoy!

** CHAPTER 11 **

Wilbur looked up in shock. Tommy and Tubbo were here. Trapped. He quickly made a path to the box and broke the glass. It didn’t drop a block, just dissipated like a hologram. He broke another so he could get in. Tommy looked up at him in fear and surprise. He and Tubbo were tied back to back. He softly nudged Tubbo who quickly turned to look, shared the same horrified look as Tommy. Wilbur had to admit, that hurt, but he needed to get them out of there, safe and sound. He quickly untied the rope holding Tommy and Tubbo together and took a step back. As soon as they were free, the boy slid up against the corner opposite of Wilbur, huddled together in what you could call a hug. Wilbur gave a sad smile of regret.

“Hey boys.” He said quietly, voice almost a whisper. “Are you two ok?”

They both still looked extremely skeptical, but nodded, sending waves of relief into Wilbur’s brain. He gave a thankful sigh and exited the box. He assumed that they probably wouldn’t want him in there while they tried to get out. As they exited, Tommy finally spoke.

“So, what did you have to do to get us back? We know you’ve been collaborating with Schlatt on this. Are we still just pawns to you all? Well you’ve got us back now, go ahead, do your worst. Just don’t hurt Tubbo.” Wilbur saw his little brother’s glare of steel, and the walls came tumbling down. He fell to his knees, tears in his eyes, and just sat there, crying. Everything was falling down on him at once now that Tommy was actually here. He hadn’t heard his little brother’s voice in weeks. As the tears fell from his eyes, Tommy and Tubbo stared incredulously. This was not the Wilbur Soot they knew before they left. Tommy couldn’t decide whether that was good or bad.

“Wilbur?” Tubbo spoke up quietly, worried for his old leader. Wilbur looked up at him whimpered when their eyes met. Tubbo and Tommy were baffled.

“I’m so, so, so sorry.” Wilbur said in the same quiet tone as before. “I was an idiot and a fool to think that I could act the way I did and still have you guys stick around.” His voice broke. “I’ll admit, it’s been a tough few weeks without you guys; but I managed.” He cleared his throat, “I know that you two have no reason to trust me right now. I wasn’t in the greatest state of mind. And I know that I have to show I’ve changed because… you wouldn’t believe me otherwise. If I were you I wouldn’t believe me either, but I have to try and regain both of your respect and trust. Nothing I say will make up for what I did to you guys,” Wilbur slowly stands on wobbly legs, teetering a bit before regaining balance. “but I should try. It’s the least I could do.” He glanced at Tommy and Tubbo, trying to gauge a reaction but their faces were as hard as stone. He looked down, waiting for a reply, when sudden hands wrapped around his torso. He looked to see Tubbo latched onto him, tightly shutting his eyes. Wilbur cautiously put his arms around Tubbo to return the hug. He started to cry, all of them did. Wilbur cried for this was the first hug he’s had in awhile. Tubbo cried for the fact that Wilbur’s mind seemed to be intact again. Tommy cried because his brother was finally back. Tommy ran to join the hug too. Tubbo made space for a group hug immediately; Wilbur took a step back. He didn’t want to hurt his little brother ever again. Tommy gave him a small smile, one that he hasn’t seen since the days of L’Manburg. Wilbur returned the small smile with one of his own as he hugged both Tommy and Tubbo. He led them down the stairs they all knew so well, and into an actually decent looking bedroom.

“I know it’s small, but it’s the only real room I have.” Wilbur said sheepishly. Tommy and Tubbo laughed at this.

“It’s ok Wilbur, the three of us can share. It’s king sized right?” Tubbo asked after confirming with Tommy that he was ok with that. Wilbur nodded. He laid down on the left of the mattress while Tubbo and Tommy curled up together on the right. It was a long, but surprisingly peaceful night.

When Wilbur woke up, he had been shifted to the middle of the bed, with Tommy clinging to him like a koala, and Tubbo basically spooning Tommy. He smiled as he drifted off again. He might not have their full trust, but he was making definite progress.

Eret stared at Wilbur with a cold glare. His glasses were off, that is what made it so scary to face Eret sometimes. His deep voice didn’t help either.

“Wilbur,” Eret said in a low, cold tone, “I am going to give you five minutes to give me one good reason to not cut you down right here, right now.” He saw Wilbur’s hands tremble a bit when he raised them in surrender. A look of surprise took over Eret’s face at that. Wilbur has been uncompromisable since he was kicked out. For him to just surrender was out of left base. Wilbur was smart, yes, but his delusions and insanity have clouded his judgment recently. Wilbur’s recent behavior has been weird, now that Eret thought about it. Not the insane weird that everyone was now used too, but weird as in, he started to actually act like his old self. Then he and Shlatt showed up, which was uncharacteristic of both of them. They were looking for Tommy and Tubbo, Eret remembered. What if they hadn’t had sinister intentions? Eret silently scolded himself for not using his soul-sight on that day. He was just so worried about keeping the boys safe that he didn’t even think. So, he decided to use it now. He concentrated for a second, then he saw their souls. It was like using a spectral arrow but instead of seeing an outline of the person, you saw their soul. Their innermost thoughts and ideas, their deepest feeling at the moment, what they thought was going to happen next, and other things they would never say aloud. That’s why he rarely used it, he had no control over what he could or could stop seeing. Fundy had known of his power for awhile and volunteered to be a practice dummy for him. Eret, reluctantly, after asking multiple time if he was sure, gave in and allowed him to do so. They had only just started before Tommy and Tubbo came over and hadn’t tried since. He had some control, but not much. He’d learned enough control to be able to focus on one soul at a time, and to be able to block out small things, like secrets. He focused his gaze on Wilbur’s soul, trying to take a closer look. His gaze zoomed in and focused on his mental state. It was a mess. If his mental state were a room, the walls would be able to be painted with the sheer amount of guilt in his heart. Eret switched his focus on Wilbur’s intentions, which looked a lot better then when he last checked. Last time, Wilbur’s only intent was to ruin what he built, with or without Tommy or Tubbo. Now, his truest intent was to get them to be ok and feel safe. With or without him. Eret lost his focus at that moment. His gaze returned to Wilbur, who looked more scared than before. His peripheral vision caught the sight of Tommy and Tubbo. Tubbo looked concerned and Tommy looked nervous. Eret sighed, which sounded more like a soft nose exhale, and spoke.

“Your clear. Now explain why you have the two kids who were sleeping in my castle last night with you?”

Tommy and Tubbo looked at him incredulously. He just stared at Wilbur for a good three minutes. He didn’t even blink. The boys saw it before when they came over that fateful night. He just stared at them for a good minute before letting them in. It was baffling, but they dismissed it. They would ask him about it later. They followed without protest, as they were let in after Wilbur.

It was the morning after Wilbur had found them. To say Tommy and Tubbo were surprised would be an understatement. When Wilbur found them, Tommy thought they were screwed. He thought Wilbur was going to launch into a spiel about how it was unfair of them to leave and more bullshit like that. But instead, he fell to his knees in front of them and basically begged for a second chance. At first, Tommy thought he had died and he was in some insane afterlife or something. Wilbur wanted to regain their respect and trust? The guy who, six or seven weeks ago, was going on about how ‘If he can’t have Manburg; no one can’. It was crazy, but for some unfathomable reason, he and Tubbo accepted. It was a rocky wake up for Tommy. When he woke up in Pogtopia, he nearly had a panic attack. Then he remembered last night. His mini freak out woke up Tubbo and Wilbur wasn’t in the room anymore. They heard chests outside the room and the two went out just check what was going on. They peered out of the room to see Wilbur digging through chests back and forth. The boys didn’t get a good look last night, but Wilbur had actually refurbished most of Pogtopia. There were more rooms, an actual floor, and carpet in some rooms. The boys, delirious from their sleep, were in a vague state of shock. Wilbur came out of a room to the left of them, the door closed with a small slam. That woke them up. Wilbur looked up in worry.

“Sorry about that. That door doesn’t close properly. Did I wake you guys?” it took Tommy’s brain a second before responding.

“Uhh no. Why are you up so early?” Wilbur gave them a questioning look.

“It’s nine a.m.? I usually wake up earlier that that.”

“Oh.” Tommy paused, thinking of what to say next. He glanced at Tubbo, still a bit sleepy. “Could we visit someone today? We were kidnapped and I don’t think he knows yet.”

“Ok. You know you don’t have to ask to visit someone Tommy.” The boy in question looked up in surprise. If he wanted to do anything that involved leaving Pogtopia before he ran away, he had to ask Wilbur’s permission. He turned his gaze to Wilbur, who was currently making beet soup and bread for breakfast. He was humming a familiar tune. Tommy smiled and looked at Tubbo, who had just reappeared from one of the rooms. Sure, this wasn’t perfect, not by a long shot, but it was going to get there.

“Sit.” Eret said to Wilbur, once they were in the living room of the castle. “Now do tell why they were not here when I woke up?” Fundy had left the room after Wilbur entered. They both looked like they wanted to say something, but neither did.

“Well, I had just gotten back from Manburg, and I walk into Pogtopia to see them hanging in a glass box, tied together. So, I broke them out of there and gave them some space. I apologized and we’ve started on making amends.” Eret looked to Tommy and Tubbo on this and they nodded, signaling the truth. “This morning, Tommy asked to visit you and allowed me to come.” Wilbur finished off his story with a sheepish smile. Eret chuckled. He didn’t know why he was laughing, but everyone soon joined in.

The walk to Eret’s castle was peaceful to say the least. Wilbur knew where they were going almost immediately, but he didn’t say anything. He was happy, the boys were happy, all was good. Wilbur was thinking over the note on the box. He knew who kidnapped Tommy and Tubbo. When they got there, he would be sure to tell Eret.

“I do have more info though.” Wilbur said after they all had their fair share of laughs. Eret froze at this. He leaned forward intently.

“Who.” He demanded, voice dangerously low. Wilbur took a small breath.

“Dream.”


	12. The kids will be alright

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eret makes his way to Dream's house. His group pick up some friends. wholesome moments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All the Tommyinnit angst has been dragging me around. sorry for the late update!

** CHAPTER 12 **

If Eret could, Eret would’ve gone and fucked Dream’s shit right then and there.

“That fuckwit took them?!” Eret exclaimed. Everyone in the room leaned away. Eret was a very scary man when angry. He got up, taking his king’s robe and crown with him. He opened the doors. “Aren’t you coming?” he asked behind him. The trio quickly followed behind.

“Where are we going?” Tommy asked after about a minute.

“To beat the shit out of Dream. Obviously.” Eret supplied.

Tommy only stopped a second to stare in awe before following again.

Schlatt had been sitting idly at his desk when the door barged open. The ram jumped at the loud sound. He looked and saw Wilbur in the lead with a furious Eret behind him, the kids squished in the middle of them.

“Uhm… hello?” Schlatt started, unsure of what to say. Tommy and Tubbo stared incredulously at Wilbur, while Eret stared down Schlatt. He did not like the position he was in.

“Schlatt,” Wilbur started, “I need a favour.”

“Ok, what do you need?” Schlatt asked leaning forwards.

“Your help.”

“Can we stop in Manburg? There’s someone I need to talk too.”

Eret gave Wilbur a questing look at that but made no comment. As the group continued their walk, Wilbur reflected on everything. He could only assume that everyone would come out of this with a passionate hatred for puppets.

Tubbo wanted to slap his past self. Why were they going to Schlatt for help?! He was just going to get handed over and then- Tubbo felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Tommy with a grim look on his face. The duo stared incredulously at Wilbur, waiting to see what would happen next. Eret stared into Schlatt’s soul. He saw a soul begging for forgiveness it knew it didn’t deserve. He continued to stare down Schlatt.

“Why do you want my help?” Schlatt asked in disbelief. He trusted Wilbur, but if looks could kill, Eret would be burying him six feet under.

“You are the president of Manburg. Regardless of how you do it, you need to right your wrongs. If this is your only chance, are you going to take your shot?”

Schlatt stood up, a new fire in his eyes. He grinned and looked Wilbur straight in the eyes.

“Gladly.”

The group walked along through Manburg, citizens looking on in surprise. The group ignored them, Schlatt and Wilbur talking like they hadn’t been planning a war on each other a month and a half ago. Eret stood in front of them and kept an eye on the boys in front of him. He silently wondered how they felt about old enemies now standing in stride with them. As they walked through Manburg, Eret caught sight of Niki. He called her over. She turned and smiled at Eret before seeing Tommy and Tubbo. she broke into a sprint, running at the two boys and encasing them in a tight hug, like if she let go again, they might disappear again. Tommy and Tubbo were captured by looks of surprise when Niki hugged them. They realized who it was and immediately hugged back. Wilbur and Schlatt stopped. Wilbur looked happy, sad, then ashamed. Schlatt didn’t even look at her, staring at the many towers that lined the horizon.

“Are you boys ok? I heard you were staying with Eret and Fundy but I wasn’t sure.” Niki said after removing herself from the hug. She glanced up and saw Wilbur and Schlatt. Her gaze hardened and discreetly put protective hands around the boys.

“We’re fine actually.” Tommy responded.

“Eret’s taking us to go watch him beat the shit out of Dream right now actually.” Tubbo supplied. Niki continued to glare at the men behind Eret.

“And them?” she asked with a poison in her voice, glare piercing their skin. Neither man looked at her.

“They’re here to help.” Tommy said. Niki’s glare shot to Eret.

“You let an insane man and a dictator, whom both gave these two boys years worth of trauma, come with you?!” She yelled at Eret, standing up. “Are you mentally deficient?!” Eret winced.

“I… looked into them. They only have good intentions, I checked.” Niki stared in disbelief.

“You… looked into them?” Eret nodded. “What the HELL does that mean Eret?!”

Eret looked sheepish. How was he going to explain this? He might as well try.

“I am half voidian.” He whispered. Niki gasped. Here it comes, she’s never going to trust him again. Eret braced himself.

“Why didn’t you tell be sooner? That’s so cool!” she exclaims. Eret made a shushing motion. She gave a small nod and a thumbs up. She looked over to Wilbur and Schlatt. Both quickly looked away. She gave a small sigh. She walked up and hugged Wilbur. He froze in surprise. Schlatt stared. Wilbur tentatively put his arms around Niki in return.

“I’m glad your back.” She whispered to him. He smiled.

“I am too.”

Niki broke the hug and smiled at Wilbur. She then proceeded to slap him across the face.

“Ow. Ow. Ok, I’ll admit, I deserved that.” he said rubbing his cheek. Schlatt slowly started to back away. Niki caught him in the back of her vision. She turned and he froze like a goat staring a lioness in the face. She calmly walked towards him. He didn’t move.

She decked him.

“I deserved that too.” He said from the ground, side of his face almost flat on the ground. Everyone was silent. Wilbur exploded into laughter.

“Oh you think that’s funny lover boy?” Schlatt said, getting up. “This will be hilarious then!” He said as he jumped on Wilbur. The two wrestled on the ground, laughing the entire time. The Light blue and sunny yellow of their sweaters were distinct but didn’t clash. Tommy and Tubbo turned at the commotion and saw their former mentors wrestling on the ground, laughing. They stared in shock. Eret and Niki couldn’t help but see Tommy and Tubbo in them at that moment. They briefly wondered what happened to them.

“Ok, if I was uncomfortable before, I am almost disturbed now.” Tommy said, interrupting the play fight. Wilbur and Schlatt, now sitting in the grass, looked over at him. “

“Why? Does us being friends again make you uncomfy?” Wilbur said to his younger brother in a babying voice. Schlatt fucking giggled at that. Tommy and Tubbo’s minds were buffering.

“Come on.” Eret said, helping the men off the ground. “As touching as that was, we still need to go kick Dreams ass.”

“I’ll come too.” Niki said with a fire in here eyes. Eret nodded and the group continued on.


	13. Were you really that naïve?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream gets his ass handed to him LMAO

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this one is a bit short, but the next chapter is gonna be a long one

** CHAPTER 13 **

The group of mismatched people eventually made it to Dream’s house. There they saw the green man inside. It seemed he was preparing something. Eret got Tommy and Tubbo to hide behind some bushes. They knocked on the door.

“Hello!” Dream said way too cheerfully as he opened the door. He extended his hand to invite them inside. The group accepted thinking they wouldn’t be gone long. They were wrong.

“What brings your guys here?” Dream asked the group. They looked around warily but nevertheless, Eret stood to face Dream.

“You are responsible for kidnaping children. We’re here to make you serve your sentence.” Eret spoke in a cold tone. Dream didn’t flinch.

“Oh am I now?” He turned to Wilbur. “Did you not like my gift?”. There was a babying tone in his voice. Wilbur scowled.

“At least I am actually sane enough now to know that treating my youngest brother and his friend like toys- like pawns in a game of chess is immoral and wrong!” Wilbur shouted. Dream smirked. Two screams could be heard from outside. The groups faces paled.

“Bring in the mice boys!” Dream shouted to the back of the house. In came George and Sapnap, swords to Tommy and Tubbo’s necks.

“You BASTARDS! LET THEM GO!” Eret shouted. Niki dawned a look of fury on her face. Schlatt looked distraught. Wilbur looked shocked.

“Tie them up Sapnap.” Dream ordered. Sapnap had them stand back-to-back and tied their wrists together. Dream’s smile only grew wider. The little puppets were tied up in his strings.

“Let them go Dream.” That was Niki. He turned to her.

“And why should I? I don’t care about ANYTHING you guys could give me. If I rid of them, that’s my two biggest problems GONE! It honestly astounds me how STUPID you all are!” There was glee in the puppeteer’s voice as he boasted his confidence, feeding his already huge ego. “You all thought you had some control? YOU ARE ALL MY PUPPETS! ALL OF YOU! HOW COULD YOU NOT SEE?! YOU FOOLS!” Dream let out a maniacal laugh. At this point, Sapnap and George were long gone. The group looked upon Dream in shock and horror. Tommy and Tubbo looked scared, but they seemed to be forming a plan. No one noticed. Dream looked back up at the group, Tommy and Tubbo still behind him.

“HOW LONG DID YOU THINK YOU COULD MAKE IT?! HOW FAR DID YOU THINK YOU COULD TAKE THIS?! I CREATED THIS PLACE, I’D BE DAMNED IF I DON’T FINNISH ON TOP! I COULD GO ON AND ON ABOUT EVERYTHING YOU IDIOTS HAVE DONE WRONG, BUT THAT WOULD ONLY GIVE YOU A CHANCE TO IMPROVE AND I. DON’T. WANT. THA-” Dream was cut off by the sound of two arrows of instant damage II piercing his chest, straight through his heart. Dream looked at his chest before falling to the ground. The group in front of him looked up in pure shock to meet the eyes of Tommy and Tubbo, who both had bows in their hands, pointed at where Dream had been.

“Wh-where did you get those?” Schlatt asked in a weak voice. Tommy and Tubbo looked at each other before nodding in unison.

“Sapnap and George. Sapnap gave us the bows and arrows, George might as well have tied a necklace around our wrists.” Tubbo responded. The adults stared in shock.

“So you decided to shoot him in the chest point blank?” Wilbur questioned warily. Tommy and Tubbo nodded.

“Would you’ve rather us done it another way?” the boys asked in unison. Everyone silently shuddered.

“Come on,” Eret said to the two boys calmly. “Let’s go back to my castle.”

It had been a quiet walk back to the castle. Everyone was quiet, either from shock or from the calm of the evening. When they arrived back at the castle, Fundy tackled Eret to the ground the moment Eret stepped foot in the castle.

“AH- Fundy!” Eret cried from the ground, the fox boy sitting on top of him, pinning him to the ground.

“YOU CAN’T JUST RUN OFF LIKE THAT IF THE KIDS GO MISSING, YOU AND YOUR MOTHER HEN COMPLEX!” Fundy shouted, ears pointed and tail swaying rapidly.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, ok? I just didn’t want you to get hurt, alright?” Eret said, trying to calm the fox boy down.

Fundy huffed. “You’re an idiot y’know.” The two smiled as Fundy got off of Eret and helped him up. Fundy looked up and saw Wilbur, Niki and Schlatt and was bombarded with mixed emotions. There was a hand on his shoulder. It was Eret.

“Don’t worry, they’re safe. I checked.” Eret whispered to him, “And you were right, focus id the key. Training tomorrow?”

Fundy smiled and looked at Eret. “Sure.” And the two walked off chatting quietly. Niki set off to go back to her house, saying goodbye to the boys before she left. Tommy and Tubbo went to the living room and laid down together by the fire, still silent, enjoying the silence in the room. Schlatt and Wilbur went to a spare guest room and read some books they found lying around. And as the night sky settled into the sky, all was peaceful on the SMP for one night as more snow started to pile up on the ground.


	14. The void of life takes in the masses

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eret reminisces over when he proposed his training idea to Fundy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys don't know how tempted I was to give Tubbo and Tommy a gun last chapter.  
> Anyways, take some exposition and lore on Eret's character and race.

** CHAPTER 14 **

It was a cold morning when everyone woke up. Tommy and Tubbo ended up sleeping next to the embers in the fireplace that night, Schlatt and Wilbur ended up limbs strewn across each other but Schlatt seemed a bit more tired than Wilbur. Perhaps he stayed up later? Eret dismissed the thoughts; it wasn’t his business. The kitchen was quiet. Fundy walked up next to him, yawning, and leaned on his shoulder. Or tried to at least. He was more leaning on the voidian’s bicep than anything. Eret smiled. He nudged his shoulder, effectively waking up his best friend. Fundy opened his eyes in panic and stabilized himself before giving Eret a light punch to the arm. Tommy and Tubbo entered, both of their hair’s were cowlicked from sleeping on the floor and each other. Tommy rubbed his eyes while Tubbo sat down at the table drowsily. Schlatt walked in five minutes later, dragging Wilbur behind him. The pair sat down as well. Everyone at the table looked at Eret as if they were waiting for something.

“I think they want breakfast Eret.” Fundy whispered. Eret sighed.

“How does cereal sound? I have many types.” Everyone at the table either nodded or gave a thumbs up. Eret nodded in response and pulled down all of his cereal and laid it down on the table along with three buckets of milk. Fundy pulled out six bowls and spoons and handed one to each person. The drowsiness of the morning was fading and the group was waking up again. No one dared touch what happened yesterday, and they’re all ok with that. No one wanted to anyways. Schlatt poured some obscure cereal Eret doesn’t remember getting in his bowl. Wilbur just had apple cinnamon cheerios. Tommy had poured in some Oreo o’s in his bowl. Tubbo had Reece puffs. Eret saw Schlatt glance at the kid’s bowl in horror and incredulity. Fundy had some cinnamon toast crunch. Eret had fruit loops and lucky charms. Schlatt just stared incredulously at Eret’s bowl before shaking his head and staring back at his bowl.

After breakfast, the group split into their pairs. Tommy and Tubbo bundled up to play outside, Wilbur eventual convincing Schlatt to come outside as well. Eret and Fundy went into the designated training room they had set up when Eret first proposed the idea of training. Eret remembered the day those few weeks ago when he asked Fundy to help train him.

“H-hey Fundy? Can you help me with something?” Eret had asked timidly. Fundy turned from the shelf he was looking at to face Eret.

“Sure, what?” Fundy asked innocently, ignorant to how nervous Eret was.

“Uh… training… but I need to tell you something first…” Eret trailed off. No going back now.

“I’m all ears dude. Is it… like, really important or something? You seem kinda nervous.” Fundy’s tail twitched.

“Yeah you could say that.” Eret took off his sunglasses. If Fundy was at all shocked, he was good at hiding it. “Do you know why I have no iris nor pupil?” Fundy shook his head. “It’s because I’m… half voidian…” Eret’s voice got quiet near the end. He had no doubt that the fox boy in front of him could still hear it just fine though. Fundy didn’t react immediately, which sent the voidian spiraling to the floor. Did he just fuck up his friendship with Fundy? Oh god, he’s gonna tell everyone, then no one will even look at him anymore. Why was he so stu- “Eret! My dude are you ok?” Eret shook his head. Fundy sighed.

“I’m sorry. That was just a big thing to drop on me, but I should’ve known better than to leave you hanging.”

“You don’t hate me?” Eret asked meekly. Fundy kneeled beside him on the ground and wrapped his arms around him in a hug.

“I could never hate you Eret. And besides, you own my full trust. I don’t care that you’re half voidian. Hell, that is super cool if you ask me. You had said you wanted to train earlier right? I assume train your powers, correct?” Eret nodded, new hope in his eyes. “Well of course, I will gladly help you train.” Eret smiled and let some tears lose he didn’t even know his eyes held as he tightened his grip around his best friend. Fundy smiled and pat him on the back in a soothing motion.

“Thank you so much.” Eret whispered to the fox hybrid.

“No problem.” The hybrid whispered back.

They got up, Eret wiping the tears off of his face as Fundy held him steady. They walked out of the library to Eret’s room.

“I should tell you, I have never tried to control my powers in any way before, so I don’t know of any backlash that might occur on either side. Nor will I have any control over what I see. So-” Fundy cut him off.

“Wait, what you see? I thought being voidian meant you had badass teleporting and shit for powers. What do you mean, see?”

“your thinking of Endermen. Voidian’s are an old tribe of End and Ender magic users. They stem from a line of dark demigods who are, yes, partially related to Endermen, but have a higher tolerance of power, some almost reaching the Ender Dragon’s level of power. Endermen can teleport and that’s about it. Voidians however, unlike their Ender counterparts, have blank eyes. They say that the eyes are a window to the soul. That is true, which is why most voidian’s have no soul, hence the blank eyes.”

“You don’t have a soul? You seem fine though, how?”

“I’m getting to that. but yes, I technically have no soul.”

“Technically?”

“Shush. Anyways, as I was saying, voidians have the power to see into anything with a soul because of their lack of one. For example, I could look into a dog or bee and I would see a soul. If I looked into a creeper or skeleton, it would be like looking for the bottom of a well without getting into it. The reason voidians are described separately from Endermen is because of the familial tree. Both spawn from the Ender Dragon, but Endermen were made from those demigods who fell into the unforgiving void that was their home. Their eyes inverted and their bodies elongated. The void is a dry place, sucking the life out of anything that it comes in, life and water, which is why Endermen can’t touch water. The eyes are the only thing that retain water in the transformation prosses, which is why they drop with all remnants of their power. Voidians are children of demigods who had mated with humans. Depending on how strong the bloodline is, the stronger the magic is. So, the child of a demigod will be a more powerful voidian than a child who is the child from a line of voidians.”

“Which one are you?”

“What?”

“Are you a descendant of a long line, or immediate family?” Eret looked away sheepishly at Fundy’s question.

“I’m immediate actually.”

“Wow, cool beans.” Eret cleared his throat and continued.

“Voidians are usually raised in the End in order to learn hos to control their magic, but I was kidnapped by some adventurers who had came to ‘save’ my mother’s vessel who had come to the End earlier that year. What they didn’t understand, was that all mates to Voidians are fully willing partners that don’t even have to be romantic.”

“What? How were you even born then?” Fundy questions. Eret gives him an awkward smile.

“Voidians look human but have magic flowing naturally through their bodies throughout their lives. They don’t have to have intercourse in order to bear a child. They just need a willing partner who trusts them completely, to the point where the voidian could have their full soul vision on around them at all times and still be ok with it. Basically, whether platonic or romantic, the human and voidian need to dedicate themselves to the other for the promise of a lifetime. It starts to form a magical bond between the two parties. Once the bond is strong enough and full of love and trust, the bond turns into a child. Which, no matter how cheesy, was how I was born.” Fundy looked at him incredulously.

“You’re telling me, that you were put in this world by the sheer power of love?” Eret laughed at his friend’s reaction.

“Yes, that’s exactly what happened.”

“So you were kidnapped as a child, then what?”

“Well, I learned about how the overworld treats voidians and just… I dunno, grew up I guess. I spent most of my teen years in the libraries of different villages learning about my people. Then I followed Wilbur into L’Manburg and the rest is history.”

“Wow. So what exactly do your powers do?”

“To put it simply, when I use my soul vision, I am able to look into another’s innermost thoughts and feelings, secrets, and other things you would never say out loud. That’s why voidians are feared. You don’t even have to speak for them to be able to know everything about you. All you need is a second of eye contact and suddenly you’re an open book to them. That’s why it’s basically a high-class ritual of trust.”

“Oh I see.” Fundy stopped in front of Eret’s bedroom. “After you.”

“Fundy are you sure you want this? Because this is me learning how to block things out and focus. At first it’ll no censors no nothing. Are you sure about this?”

Fundy nodded. “Definitely.”

“Ok, here we go.”


	15. Diving deeper in the ocean of memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eret continues to reminisce about his first training session. We learn a little more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we have a flashback in a flashback (i better stop before i get too meta)

** CHAPTER 15 **

Eret and Fundy stood facing each other in Eret’s bedroom. Eret closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was Fundy’s choice to do this for Eret, Eret just had to keep him safe. When Eret opened his eyes, his vision was in soul mode. The room was pitch black, only the outline of Fundy’s body remained visible. Almost as if he were hit with a spectral arrow. Eret focused his vision on Fundy. It was like a camera zooming in as his vision was pulled farther forward in. There was a stone in the middle of his chest shaped like a heart. The crystal was a tourmaline, Eret noticed. A metaphysical body formed below Eret. He reached his hand out to touch the salmon-coloured stone. As soon as his fingers grazed it, a beautiful cloud of colours burst from the gem. There were reds, yellows, blues, greens, pinks, and purples. Hell, there were colours there that Eret had never seen before and couldn’t begin to describe. The closer he walked to one, the more he could hear faint voices coming from it. Experimentally, he tapped on one. It was a pretty colour Eret had never seen. Instantly, he was in the old L’Manburg. It was a memory, Eret realized with a start. He seemed to be sort of like a ghost, unable to interact with anything or anyone, only able to watch. The memory was him and Fundy stargazing the night before the betrayal. Eret cringed slightly as he remembered. He wallowed in his guilt as the memory played on until the memory of Fundy spoke.

“What do you think’ll happen if we win?” Both Eret’s swallowed, an action that he would realize is his way of expressing guilt.

“I… I’m not sure. I’d kinda like to travel, y’know? I wouldn’t move permanently or anything, this is my home, but I do feel… confined by the walls I built.” Eret winced. He remembered this. The thing is, we wasn’t lying when he said this.

“Yeah I can understand that.” Fundy said nonchalantly, “I mean… you don’t exactly get credit for them either. Maybe when this is all well and done we could travel together, eh?”

Memory Eret looked wistfully in the distance.

“Yeah… maybe.”

Eret was thrown out of the memory, literally, tumbling to a non-existent ground. He sat up, rubbing the back of his head.

_‘So that’s what the colour blobs are. Still don’t know what the colour mean though…_ ’ Eret thought. Maybe they were the connected emotions? Then what were the feelings connected to the new colours? Eret didn’t know. He got up, looking around the void that held the memories. He looked into the distance, and saw the tourmaline stone, floating in the dark. Eret walked forward, towards the stone, and reached his hand out. His fingers grazed the stone again and was thrown into a new void. There was no colourful cloud this time, but bubbles filled the empty space. There were big ones and small ones that littered the void from top to bottom, filling the room. Eret walked around, glancing at the bubbles every so often. He stopped in front the biggest bubble he could see. It was bigger than him, almost touching the ground and much above his head. The bubble must’ve been about 6’5, about two inches taller than Eret. He reached his hand out and touched the bubble. It didn’t pop, his hand rested on it with no tension, his hand barely made an indent in it. He pushed a little harder on it. Suddenly, as if someone were pulling him, he was tugged through.

He landed on a cold marble floor, tumbling a little from the momentum. He looks up and sees a big stone brick wall, maybe about fifteen feet in height. On every foot there was a wooden sign. Some were in different types of wood, but most were in oak. He looked around, bewildered, and stood. He looked closer at the signs and saw that there were words on them.

‘ _They’re thoughts,’_ Eret realized, ‘ _and secrets…’_. If Eret didn’t feel like he was invading Fundy’s privacy before, he sure does now. He steps back, not wanting to look at any more signs, afraid of what he might find if he does. He turns and walks away, looking for an exit. He thinks he can hear Fundy’s voice.

_“Eret! Eret wake up!”_

Eret gave his head a shake. That was just…. Eret realized he didn’t have an excuse. He was out of memory territory, so that was ruled out. And unless Eret was hearing things…

“ERET!” he opened his eyes, back in the real world, startled out of… whatever he had been doing. He didn’t really know what to call it. Fundy was holding his shoulders, sprouts of fear flowering in his eyes. Eret almost dove right back in, but Fundy talked.

“Eret? Are you ok man? You were unresponsive for a good two hours.”

Eret blinked. Had he really been gone that long? It felt no longer than five minutes to him. Fundy might be a prankster, but he seemed genuinely worried.

“Yeah, I’m fine actually,” Eret realized he had somehow sat down. He stood and faced Fundy. “but what about you? Are you ok?”

Fundy stood to meet his eyes. Eret still had his glasses off. “I’m fine too. You just kinda… stopped. I sat you down but you were otherwise unresponsive. I felt nothing.” Fundy studied Eret’s face, the feeling of something being off lurking in his head. Then it hit him.

“Eret… your eyes…”

Eret rubbed a hand over his face. “Wh-what about them?”

“You have pupils! And irises!”

Eret looked surprised as he ran to the mirror. He saw that Fundy was right. His pupils were wide from the low light of the evening, and his irises were a beautiful aquamarine colour. His reached his hand up to touch his face, to make sure that it was real. Was this something he could always be able to do, or just a first-time thing. He looked at Fundy, who had rushed after him, mirroring the same expression. Pure elation. Eret finally looked in the mirror and saw a normal person looking back. Someone who wouldn’t frighten the masses just because his kin were taught they should be feared. Someone who could stand in a crowd without sticking out like a sore thumb. His eyes were filled to the brim with tears. He started to cry. He hadn’t a clue how long this would last, but at least being able to feel normal was enough to make him cry. Fundy slowly wrapped his arms and tail around the taller man. He led Eret from the mirror to the bed, slowly rubbing his back in comfort. As the evening faded to night, Eret calmed down enough to speak.

“F-fundy, look,” he said shakily, “I look normal. Fundy, I actually look normal.” Eret sounded like he was sort of in denial.

“Y-yeah. I saw. How do you feel?”

Eret turned to face him, self deprecating smile stretched across his face. “Normal.” And he said it like it was the best thing in the world. Fundy leaned closer, trying to remind Eret that he was always here for him.

“Is… is that a good thing?” Eret paused. Was it a good thing? He certainly didn’t feel like himself right now, whether the reason be exhaustion or something else Eret didn’t know. His mind was going a million miles a minute. He looked back at Fundy who now looked worried.

“I…no, no I don’t think so. I feel weird. Like I’m not myself. I feel so… normal.” Eret says in sad tone. He was so confused, and tired, he just wanted to calm down. He felt a warm pair of arms wrap around him. He and Fundy gently laid out on the bed in a comfortable position. Eret, half leaning on his right shoulder, head facing Fundy with his eyes closed. Fundy, left arm wrapped around Eret’s torso, head laying on Eret’s shoulder, eyes closed. The two settled into a comfortable slumber, both knowing that Eret’s eyes probably wouldn’t stay like that. And in the end, Eret was fine with that. Fundy had his back, and Eret had his. And really? That was all the needed right now.


	16. And here the books are closed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the end. We all get a bit of closure.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to the finale, friends!

** CHAPTER 16 **

“Eret?” Fundy snapped his fingers in front of Eret’s face, intending to drag him from his memories. “You good man? You kinda spaced out on me there.” Eret blinked, shaken from his reminiscing. He looked up at Fundy from where they stood in the doorway. He looked out of his room window and saw the fresh piles of snow outside. He saw Tommy and Tubbo building a snow fort. Schlatt and Wilbur were bickering about where their snow house would go. Eret turned to Fundy.

“Sorry about that,” he rubbed his neck sheepishly, “I was reminiscing on our first-time training.” Fundy gave a small laugh. He remembered that. Eret had been so awkward. Once they started, he just kinda… zoned out for three hours until Fundy got worried and woke him up. He looked back at Eret, still giggling a little. He wondered what was going on outside.

“WE CAN’T BUILD OUR HOUSE HERE!” Schlatt yelled at Wilbur from across the snowy courtyard. Wilbur looked up and gave him a friendly glare.

“LIKE HELL WE CAN’T! WHY NOT?” he called back across. Schlatt grumbled something under his breath as he walked towards Wilbur.

“Because,” he said in a calm tone, “If we build it here, it’ll melt quicker.” Wilbur brushed it off.

“What if you build yours, I’ll build mine, and we’ll see who’s right.” Wilbur said to Schlatt with a smirk. Schlatt rolled his eyes, but none the less, went and continued his snow fort. Tommy and Tubbo had finished theirs and were now working on snowmen.

“Are you building a child?” Tommy asked Tubbo from where he was building his snowman. Tubbo looked at Tommy and chuckled.

“Nooooo…, what gave you that idea?” Tommy deadpanned.

“Maybe it’, and I’m just spit balling here, because of the word ‘child’ being carved into it’s stomach?”

Both Tommy and Tubbo went quiet a moment before bursting out into laughter. The boys doubled over, clutching their stomachs, rolling on the soft powder from the sheer force of their bubbling happiness. When they could breathe again, Tommy had a dark question tickling his mind.

“Hey Tubbo?”

“Y-yeah Tommy?” Tubbo’s breaths came in huffs.

“Wh-what do you think would’ve happened if we didn’t run away?”

It took Tubbo a minute to respond, but when he did, his eye’s met Tommy’s with a viciousness not even he’d known. “I don’t.”

“What?”

“I don’t think about what might’ve happened if we didn’t run away. Why should I? I wasn’t happy then, we said fuck off to everyone, and then lived in the forest together for a month and a half. That was probably the most happiest time of my life. It was just the two of us, like it will always be. No matter what might’ve happened Tommy, this is now. We’re happy, Dream is dead, Manburg is no longer ruled by a tyrant- hell, if we brought it up, you and Wil wouldn’t even be exiled anymore.” Tubbo put a comforting had on Tommy’s shoulder. “It’s not just us against the world anymore. Now we have people supporting us, people who finally realize that **they** are the adults, not us. We can finally live our lives our way, with no one to stop us. There’s no more puppet strings, we killed the puppeteer. Your brothers? We could invite them to the house sometimes. Heck, they could stay if it were wished! Techno can start an actual potato farm, Wilbur and Schlatt can continue goofing off like they are now.” The horns Tubbo had from working under Schlatt had shrunk. They were nothing but little tips poking just above the fluff of his hair. “It’s out of our hands now. I guarantee you that we will not be dragged back into another war. And if anyone tries to, well,” Tubbo looked at where Schlatt and Wilbur were standing. He looked at Fundy and Eret, standing inside the castle. He looked back at Tommy, “I think they would have to face something worse than the wrath of the nether if they wanted to get to us.”

Tommy gave one of his airy laughs. “Where’d you get that idea?” Tubbo smiled, looking up above the castle walls.

“Just a hunch.”

It was over. Everyone on the server knew it was over. George, Sapnap, and Punz mourned their late friend. Niki opened an official SMP wide bakery with help from Eret and Fundy. Eret, officially king of the Dream SMP, made a peace treaty between Manburg, the SMP, and the Badlands. Sam, Ant, Bad, and the other members of the Badlands went in search of some mooshroom islands. The people who had no real connections, like Purpled and Hbomb, took up residence in Manburg and the SMP, while others joined the badlands.

There were lots of travelers, from everywhere. Phil came and helped build a house with Techno and Wilbur somewhere in a snowy region, not far from Manburg. A couple of northerners, going by the names of Illumina and Fruitberries, passed by once and awhile. They were a bit strange, talking about restaurants and stores that the Brits and Americans had never heard of. Like Tim Hortons.

There were people who moved in from outer places, like Phil, but took up actual residence in the SMP/Manburg lands. Ranboo, Connor to name a few. Jack Manifold finished his housing project, Ponk got an official doctor degree, the Antarctic Empire rose and signed peace treaties with the SMP, Manburg, and the Badlands. Quackity started El’Rapids, with Sapnap, George, and Karl. They also signed the treaties.

In the end, Dream got his wish. The whole SMP lived together in harmony. But not because there was one place put above all others, not because there was someone pulling any strings or working behind the scenes. But because they all worked to keep one goal. Keep the kids, Tommy and Tubbo, from being any more traumatized than they already were. And they did.

Tommy and Tubbo left Manburg and the SMP behind and went back to their cabin in the woods. Tubbo checked on his bee farm. Tommy finished up the underground storage room and they carried on. There were no more wars or battles, none that revolved around Tommy and Tubbo at least. Tommy got all his disks back and played them like and anthem. He got new ones too. Pigstep from Hbomb and Chirp from BBH. He got a Stal from Tubbo as a new years gift, and Cat was returned to him on Christmas from Punz. Not long after, he and Tubbo found Strad and Mall, two new disks from a woodland mansion.

It was peaceful. Tommy befriended some baby slimes and started a farm with a mooshroom he affectionately named ‘Mooshroom Henry’. He checked on Saturn, his regular cow, and started a farm with lots of multi-coloured sheep. Tubbo made pumpkin pie with the gourds growing in their garden every fall, and in the summer they would feast on ripe watermelons, the size of their heads.

It was calming. They quickly fell into a routine of visiting the SMP/Manburg for a month or two every year and would get visitors every few weeks to a month. It became everyone’s new normal, looking after the kids they had once forgotten to hold so dear. They were forgotten no longer as the epilogue played out and a ghost trapped in the veil could do nothing but watch as his lands were made all the better without him.

In the end, they were all fine.

** THE END. **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a way to start a new year, huh? finishing one story so more can carry on. I hope you've enjoyed reading this as much as I have writing this, and I hope you all have a happy new year!


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